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The Natterjack - 5th round of the British Enduro Championship - took place on the 27/28th September at Longmoor camp near Bordon. Due to a clash of dates with the WEC GP of Italy, this year's event was not a Championship round for the Championship & only 7 riders entered the class. A further blow came when Paul Edmondson had an offer he couldn't refuse & sold his race bike in the week which meant that there were only 6 starters but there was no lack of excitement as young guns Ashley Wood, Jon Hinam, James Jackman & Ollie Moyce shot it out with veteran Richard Hay. Ashley, Jon & Ollie were still fired up after their good results in Greece & Richard at 39 has lost none of his enthusiasm for the sport. He commutes 1000s of miles every year from Aberdeen to ride all over Great Britain & next year he intends to compete in the European Veterans class. TM MX rider Jon Pettitt - riding in his first Enduro - was an unknown quantity. John has been competing in the Dep Championship. He arrived in a 50 foot truck which had to have it's own route to the start & it was big enough to contain a private practice track. Despite the ACU decision to discard the round, Major Mike Tizard & his REME team dealt with the disappointment as expected of professionals & put on a top class event that was possibly the best yet. The weather was fantastic with warm autumn sunshine in a cloudless sky quickly burning off the early morning fog. The ground was in perfect condition. After the wet summer the sandy soil was very firm & held up well.. This year - for the first tine - there was a Quads class & as well as sidecars. The first 2 riders were flagged away at 10.00am over an impressive diamond plate ramp. The cross country test was through the trees alongside the start as usual. This year it contained an extreme section consisting of truck tyres, concrete slabs & a bog. It was for solos only. On the sighting lap, spectators caught the unusual sight of Richard Hay laying his KTM down on the tyres.
Day 2 The course was reversed with the exception of the Mx test & the times were tighter by a couple of minutes. The bog on the cross country test was cut. Clubman John Mitchinson had a spare KTM bearing kit which he lent Ashley Wood who had enough working time in the morning to fit the shock spacers & a new rear tyre. It did not phase him as he extended his lead to 8 seconds over Ollie Moyce. Over five test the 2 Championship riders battled until at the end of the second day Ashley came home the winner. Ollie was once again 2nd but by the narrowest of margins. Richard Hay was 3rd. Jonathan Pettitt developed a misfire & dropped 18 minutes. Phillip McLoughlin was the Best Expert & Matt Ridgeway mastered the roots to take 2nd. For environmental reasons riders must use trials tyres on the rear for the Natterjack. Several riders - including Ollie Moyce - had trouble with the tyres turning despite double clamping them. David Lloyd-Jones retired with throttle & moose problems. Matt Holcombe won the Clubman class & Paul Wallis was the runner up. E2 Clubman Julian Hunt retired when a stick holed his radiator. James Burrows' clutch cruelly failed on his last Mx test. Chay Granby came home under his own power but on the forestry road with a cooked moose. Only 3 riders required medical attention. Ironically they were all RAF riders who had made emergency landings. Sean Davis – suffered concussion on Sat and was sent to hospital for overnight observation. Austin Clarke – joined him on Sunday with a foot injury. Nick Bartle – also joined him slightly later on Sun with a shoulder injury. Simon Thomas went for the double jump & almost made it. Knighton & Natterjack were poles apart in some respects but they both succeeded in giving the riders exactly what they wanted. A good ride & a great event.
Results: Day 1 Day 2 Combined Standings A great season reached it's dramatic climax this weekend at the Natterjack held at the Longmoor camp near Bordon. On form the favourite was Tom Sagar. Despite missing the Tywi to ride the World Championship round in America, Tom led the BEC with 120pts but 3 other riders were still in with a chance. Simon Wakely in 2nd gained a lot of confidence from his ride in Poland which secured him the European E2/3 Junior title. Euan McConnell had already clinched the E3 BEC Championship but the top prize was still within his grasp & a rejuvenated Paul Edmondson was also a contender. Paul had won the Natterjack 7 times & he would be riding his new RM250. He had also lent a pair of RMs to the D2D Bad Boys team of Ricky Mair & Jason Thomas. Daryl Bolter's injured shoulder had put him out of contention but he would still be contesting the E1 Championship with the current leader Greg Evans. The Natterjack is the only BEC round to be held outside Wales this year. England is a pleasant country on the Welsh borders where the locals speak a quaint language of their own. It is very flat. The start is alongside the A3 & the 40 mile lap loops around both sides of the road. The course is all on private land so there is no limitation on the entry but numbers seemed to be down on last year. Maybe the biting east wind on Friday caused everyone to cosy up a bit more this year. The Xcountry test was close to the start. It was laid out by Dusty Martin with lots of wide corners to give the riders the option of safe slower outer lines or riskier tight lines. The MX test - in the Sand Bowl - was sponsored by DEP pipes. The Reme Team worked all week with 3 diggers to build the whoops, jumps & berms. Last years experiment with MX tyres proved to be a one off so this year it was back to trail tyres & Paul Green was on site to supply them. Saturday: The weather was wet but the clouds were thin & the showers would not last. There were 3 & a bit laps for the Championship The first 3 riders were piped away by Clerk of the Course Major Mike Tizard at 10am. Ashley Wood’s plug fouled in the first quarter mile. Ollie Moyce's tyre came off & he had to improvise a tyre lever out of screw driver. Chris Lappin had an electrical problem. There was a tough climb on the Mx test. By the time Simon White & James Cutt got to the top the kettle was boiling. The Reme Team were there to give a hand - particularly for riders on Harleys. Andy Barford’s Honda lost compression & he had to press gang a couple of spectators. Austin Clarke was riding in his first time card enduro for the RAF. He punctured his rear tyre on the MX test but his mate borrowed the enduronews pushbike to get a tube from the pits & he carried on to finish. Paul Edmondson was fastest on the MX tests by 9 seconds & Tom Sagar was fastest on XCs. Paul was the overall winner on Day 1, ahead of Daryl Bolter. This was a good result for Daryl who had to replace his pipe after flattening it in the Sand Bowl. Tom was third & his 15pts secured him the Championship. Tim Lewis retired after falling heavily on the first MX test & aggravating the chest injury he sustained in the Rhayader. Ollie Moyce was getting lots of air on the test. At one point he appears to have lodged his YZ in the branches of tree & he has decided to climb. down. Mike Bailey was the Best Clubman & Tudor Davies was the runner up. At last it came together for Darren Carter to win the Experts class. Julian Harvey was 2nd. The newly crowned Clubman champion – Gareth Hopkins - was 4th in his first ride in the Expert class. Adrian Lappin was the Best Veteran ahead of Neil Williams. Greame Naismith was 3rd. Only 2 outfit contested the Championship Sidecar class. Graham Jones/Simon Brown were the winners & the Barnett’s were the runners up. Out of the 4 Clubman Sidecars that started only Craig Radford/Gareth Clarke crossed the finishing line. In the Standard Service class lance corporal Phil Cooper bulldozed his Harley to the finish. With the bikes stowed safely in the Parc Ferme the riders walked the test as the sun set behind rose tinted mackerel sky. Sunday. The start was at 9am. The sky was grey but it soon cleared into a bright day. Both tests were reversed. This created the possibility of a 52 foot jump over the Bombhole on the MX test. A thing can be possible without being advisable. Richard Hay was the first rider through & he surprised everyone by avoiding the hole & riding along the narrow edge at good speed. Several other riders tried the line but with varying success. Most went through the hole until Ricky Mair arrived & sailed across. Moments later Paul Edmondson matched him (photo: top). It electrified the crowd. Expert Barry Kinley also made the jump. It was short & it was ugly but we loved it. Paul won the test by 2 second. Between the laps Roger Baker entertained the crowd with some freestyle on his boys Yam. The REME team have had been working hard in some far distant sands & it's good to see them getting the chance to relax at home. Lee Edmondson retired with a bit to much sand in his carb. Courtenay James was lucky when Nathan Ostridge spotted something he took to be a stick in the rear wheel at the start of a test. It turned out to be Courtenay's spindle which had worked itself loose. Jon Hinam blew his gasket but he had already done enough to secure the E1 Expert Championship. Ollie Moyce's rear wheel day 1 repair proved to be temporary as the bead had broken & he retired. Dylan & Robert Jones' genetic clocks must be synchronized as they match their times for some good natured family rivalry. By lap 3 news of Paul & Ricky's jumps had got back to the pits & in particular to Euan McConnell who decided join the club. It worked well for him & he moved up to 2nd. Paul was the overall winner to add an 8th Natterjack premier to his trophy cabinet. Tom Sagar's D3-Racing Team were on the finishing line to give 2007 Champion a champagne pressure washing. Daryl Bolter won the E1 Championship. Andrew Edwards lost his silencer & he had to finish with an underpowered standard pipe. Heinrich Primic finished his last enduro. Overall Darren Carter won the Experts from Barry Kinley. Gareth Hopkins was 4th. Mike Bailey was the Best Clubman ahead of Tudor Davies.
Bolter wins 07 Enduro 1 BEC title - Husky Sport/MPS Racing Husqvarna Press release Photo available from Arctic-exposures.co.uk
NB due to the early finish the results above are very provisional - Details The Bike-it Dixon Racing Natterjack 2 Day Enduro – final round of the British Enduro Championship - took place this weekend - 30th Sept & 1st Oct - on the army ranges near Bordon, Hampshire. The record breaking long hot days of Summer had been replaced by warm, damp Autumn winds from the Southwest during the preceding week & the forecast was for showers. A forecast that would prove to be an understatement. The REME team’s course looped around the forests on the north & the south of the A3 to form a figure of 8 with the start, re-fuelling & both tests at the centre. The X-country test threaded itself through the trees on a slope opposite the Start & the MX test was half a mile away in a sandpit. The going at Bordon is generally sandy & flat in comparison to Wales. There are few fire road & the continuous pounding that the riders take between the trees on the "whoops" - as the sand mounds up - makes the Natterjack a physically demanding event. As well as a good suspension set up the riders must be prepared for blistered hands & monkey butt but - with the Championship sown up & David Knight absent - there were plenty of contenders ready for the challenge. Day 1 started at 10 am. After a night of heavy rain the sky was clear & the sun shone. Jacks Johns' Yamaha laid down at the end of lap one to catch a few rays & didn’t want to get back up. Wyn Hughes fell heavy & tore his shoulder muscle. Lee Edmondson also had a heavy fall & retired. Ian Mundell was seriously injured when his throttle jammed & he hit a tree. His leg was fractured in several places. Here's wishing him a quick recovery. Paul Edmondson won the day by 5 seconds from Jake Stapleton. Euan McConnell set the fastest time on the 1st test but slowed later to finish 3rd. Ashley Wood was the Best Expert ahead of Darren Carter. Graeme Naismith won the Veteran & Neil Williams was the runner up. Day 2 started an hour early at 9am & so did the rain. The course was reversed. Andrew Edwards’ clutch was leaking & needed attention. Daryl Bolter was flying but as the times got tighter so did his recently injured wrist & he retired. Ricky Mair lost his kickstart & then his motor began to cut out. Next year he will concentrating on MX.
Paul Edmondson won Day 2 ahead of Jake Stapleton. Simon Wakely was 3rd which was an excellent result as he was on antibiotics for a chest infection. Next year Simon will be supported by MPS Racing. The Best Expert was Steve Dustow & Darren Carter was the runner up. Ashley Wood was 3rd. Neil Williams from Brecon - who relishes the tough going - won the Veteran class from Mark Houson. Greame Naismith was 3rd. Rob Faulkner was unable to ride as he is still recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained at the Rhayader. Tim Foreman was injured & was taken to A&E for a check up. Craig Bounds could be described as "laid back" but he has none of the urgency that the phrase implies. He hitched a ride & made the 180 mile journey to Bordon lying across the seats of 3 bikes in the back of a transit., picked up a gold & stretched out again all the way home.
Championship Standings - Subject to confirmation of the results, David Knight won the 2006 British Enduro Championship with a round in hand. Paul Edmondson was the runner up. Despite breaking his leg in middle of the season, Edward Jones was the Best E1 rider ahead of his brother Robert. Paul Edmondson won the E2 class & Euan McConnelll was the runner up. David Knight was the best of a small E3 class ahead of Chris Tett. In the Open Championship, Australian Jake Stapleton was 3rd Overall. 2006 British Enduro Championship Team Competition
The 2006 British Enduro Championship Team Competition raised £520 to support British Teams in New Zealand. The Par Homes Trade team of Paul Edmondson, Simon Wakely & Ashley Wood was the overall winner. Team Scotland - Richard Hay, Derek Little & Graeme Naismith - were the Runner up & won the Best Open Team award. Team Blue Noses (left) - Neil Parry, Steve Parry, Wayne Johnson - were 3rd. North Berks MCC "B" was Best Club team & despite not being able to field a full team at their home event, REME Yamaha were the Best Services team. The Team Competition went well & Enduro News plans to run it again in 2007 with 2 slight changes. Each team can drop one round & team managers will receive a reminder before each round to check they have a full team. Edmondson wins final round of ’06 BEC - press release PAR Homes Honda Racing Fast Eddy rider Paul Edmondson brought his ’06 British Enduro Championship season to a winning close by topping both days of the fifth round of the series, the REME organised Natterjack Enduro. Already crowned Enduro 2 British champion at the penultimate round of the championship Edmondson placed five seconds ahead of Australian Jake Stapleton on day one and 10 seconds up on day two. In doing so, and taking advantage of the fact that David Knight wasn’t competing, Eddy claimed his first double BEC win of the season. Looking forward to getting to the Natterjack’s sandy motocross test Edmondson was confident of victory on day one and with the weather fine found himself battling with Australian Jake Stapleton. With Jake having the upper hand on the tight and technical enduro test Edmondson proved the faster rider on the motocross test and the pair traded special test wins all day. With little to separate the two riders on either test the pair pulled clear of the rest of the Championship class with Edmondson claiming the overall win five seconds ahead of Stapleton. Wanting to ensure that he made things a little easier for himself on day two Edmondson attacked the first timed motocross test in an attempt to open up a sizeable lead. Beating Stapleton by eight seconds Edmondson had no idea at that point just how important his advantage would be as heavy rain later caused the organisers to scrap the third and final lap and its two special tests. With Jake managing to squeeze ahead of Edmondson on the one and only timed enduro test Edmondson brought his ’06 BEC to a wining close by topping the third and final special test of the day and in doing so claimed the overall day, and event, win. Paul Edmondson: “Winning the final round of the ’06 British Enduro Championship is a great way to end the season. The Natterjack is one of my favourite types of going and I really enjoyed the event – especially the motocross test. “I was quicker on the motocross test than I was on the enduro test but I felt pretty good on both tests. Jake and myself were a fair way ahead of anyone else on the enduro test, which was good. There wasn’t a lot between us but I made my motocross tests count and managed to win both days. “I didn’t have any problems on the first day, I wasn’t taking any major risks, and I really enjoyed it. The great thing about the Natterjack special test is that you can be really aggressive, which you can’t on many of the other tests in the BEC. “Day two was spot on as well. I tried to start as strong as possible and by putting in a good opening motocross test I was confident that I could win, which I did. With the weather turning out the way it did I’m glad that I got a good opening test under my belt. Cutting the second day to two laps was definitely the right thing to do, it was unbelievable how much water was on the ground after the thunder storm. “I think this year’s BEC series has been the best for many years – we’ve had great events and the competition in the Championship class is closer than it has been for years. My focus this season was on British events so to win the Enduro 2 class of the BEC, and finishing runner-up to Knighter, is great. That added to winning the Fast Eddy Cross Country series has made it a really good season.” Stapleton and McConnell perform well at ’06 BEC final Electraction TM UK riders Jake Stapleton and Euan McConnell continued their good form in the ’06 British Enduro Championship with the pair placing in second and third in the Overall Championship class results on day one at the REME organised BEC final round. Backing up their good day one results Jake and Euan then placed in second and seventh on the rain soaked second day. In doing so the pair finished in third and fourth in the Open Overall British Enduro Championship behind world champion David Knight and former world champion Paul Edmondson. After beating Paul Edmondson on both days of the fourth round of the ’06 BEC series Jake was hoping to end his British championship on a high note and again place ahead of the former world champion. But with Edmondson also wanting to bring ’06 to a triumphant close the pair were locked in a head-to-head battle for victory on day one with Jake getting the upper hand on the enduro test and Edmondson on the motocross tests. After six special tests Jake finished just five seconds behind Edmondson having won each of the day’s three enduro tests. Wanting to go one better on day two Jake frustratingly tried too hard on the opening motocross test and dropped eight seconds to Edmondson. Despite winning the day’s one and only enduro test Jake was defeated by Edmondson by just two seconds, which resulted in Stapleton again placing second overall as the day was cut short due to extremely wet weather. Performing well on the Natterjack’s power sappy motocross test aboard his 450cc TM Euan McConnell was unable to match the pace of Edmondson and team-mate Stapleton on the enduro test on day one yet still managed to place a creditable third. Winning the opening day’s first motocross test outright Euan continued to perform well on the MX test but due to the enduro test being extremely tight and twisty he was unable to challenge for a top two position and ended the day third but as first four-stroke. Finishing second on Sunday’s opening test Euan again struggled on the tight enduro test and following a heavy crash on the going early in the day was unable to repeat his finishing result from day one. With rain falling heavily during the second lap conditions became extremely challenging and as a result Euan finished in seventh, just six seconds from third. Jake Stapleton: “Day one was a pretty good day really. I felt good but I made a lot of small mistakes on the motocross test. It’s one of those tests that if you make one mistake it messes you up for a bunch of corners. The enduro test got pretty rough and bumpy but it seemed to suit me. I was feeling pretty worn out by the end of the day but finishing close behind Edmondson and second overall was really good. “I really wanted to be quicker on the motocross test on day two but I wasn’t, which really frustrated me. I think that I was trying too hard, which made things worse I guess. When the rain started it was horrendous. I managed to deal with things as best I could and I got another good result, which is a great way to end the season.” Euan McConnell: “Day one started well. I loved the motocross test and the 450 really suited the power sapping sand but I knew that I was going to struggle on the tight enduro test, and I did. It was so tight it was really hard to get going on the bigger four-stroke. I was just riding conservatively making sure that I didn’t stall the bike. Paul and Jake were taking about 15 to 20 seconds a test out of me. But the motocross test went really well and was great fun. I won the first motocross test so I had the speed on that test, just not on the enduro test. “I knew that I would struggle on the enduro test on day two but I crashed heavily on the check before the first enduro test, which de-tuned me and shook me up a bit. My enduro test on day two was actually going quite well but after the downpour my bike took in some water and started to cut out at times. There was nothing you could do to avoid the water, there was just so much of it. Day two would have been pretty good but the weather made it a bit of a lottery, which is a shame because it was a good event and I was really enjoying the motocross test.” Natterjack British Championship Enduro Scottish Riders Report The weathermen forecast rain over the weekend for the Natterjack Enduro and they were proven correct. There were rain showers on Saturday that did not spoil an enjoyable event, on Sunday however, the weather was the worst anyone had seen at a British Championship. Rain, hailstones and enough wind to wreck all the pop up awnings that were sheltering the pit crews. The organisation at the event was first class as always, although all the army marshals were needed to shepherd all riders home on Sunday. There was a sand quarry that provided an excellent MX test and an extreme Enduro test next to the start finish area. Euan McConnell set the fastest time in the first MX test, just one second faster than eventual winner Paul Edmondson. The more technical Enduro test is where this event is won or lost and Paul Edmondson was in a class of his own around this part of the track. Euan battled with Jake Stapleton for second place and although Euan was very quick in the MX test Jake was quicker in the Enduro test and Euan finished the day in third place. On day two Euan was very competitive until the worst of the weather made the Enduro test even tougher for the four fifty bikes as the course was virtually washed away. Euan was relieved that although he finished 7th on Sunday he had done enough on Saturday to retain his third place overall for the weekend. Ricky Mair had his best result in the Championship class with an E1 class win. Ricky and Andrew Edwards swapped quickest times all day with Ricky taking the E1 win and seventh overall. The sandy going suited Ricky as his home track in Elgin is similar to the Natterjack sandy MX track. Unfortunately the his luck changed on Sunday with Ricky loosing his kick-start and then his engine sounded as if some of the sand had worked its way into somewhere it shouldn't have been, leading to retirement. Ricky is going to concentrate on motocross next year and will only ride selected Enduros; this will be a great loss to the British Enduro Championship scene. Richard Hay rode consistently to finish 4th E1 and 10th overall on Saturday; unfortunately this was not enough to catch Edward Jones who won the E1 Enduro Championship at the Naterjack Enduro. Richard hit a tree on Sunday and dropped to 8th E1 and 15th overall, to slow Richard it must have been painful. Derek Little once again rode hard to finish both days clean on time, considering the conditions on Sunday this was a great achievement. Derek finished 18th overall and qualified for a Gold medal. A disaster was averted when Dad Johnny and Jim missed a refuel, Pauline Hay came to the rescue and Derek received the necessary petrol to complete the next check. Paul Chatham has had his share of bad luck this year and this event proved no different. Paul had a problem with his rear wheel that resulted in his retirement on the second lap. Paul had earlier set a top ten special test time that proved his potential once his luck returns. Paul borrowed a rear wheel from Par Honda and managed to finish 8th E1 expert on Sunday. Neil Chatham finished 4th E1 and 8th Clubman overall on Saturday, this result would have delighted most 16 year old riders, Neil felt he could do better. On Sunday he proved his point and finished 1st overall Clubman and lifted his result to 2nd E1 and 4th overall Clubman for the weekend. The weather had been at its worst during the last loop before the event was called to a halt. Neil rode through the rain and hailstones to finish with just 15 seconds to spare before loosing time on the course. 'You could not tell which puddles were really deep and which were shallow and that made it really difficult to judge which line to choose' Neil said afterwards. Allyn Scotland arrived at the event with swollen eyes and not feeling his best, an eye infection was causing him discomfort to say the least. Allyn was in contention for the E1 Clubman class and nothing was going to stop him competing. Allyn had walked the MX test on Friday but forgot about a jump and not only cleared it, he cleared the tape and landed on the track for the opposite direction. 'I could not believe the hight of the jump I did' Allyn said afterwards. By the time he had fought his way back to the correct piece of track he had lost too much time, to make himself feel better he finished 3rd quickest on the Clubman Enduro test on Saturday. Allyn finished 8th E1 and 15th Clubman overall on Saturday and following a spirited ride on Sunday he pulled himself up to 4th E1 and 9th Clubman overall for the weekend, not quite enough to take the Championship unfortunately. Jamie Humpage joined the more experienced riders for his first attempt at a British Championship event. Jamie rode to the best of his ability, unfortunately the 5hour day proved too demanding. Cramp and fatigue forced him to stop one stage from the finish. Despite this he started day two and was prepared to have another go, no one could have predicted the terrible weather that made the track impossible for someone like Jamie with limited experience. While negotiating his way past a sidecar outfit Jamie slid into a deep hole and it took three army marines and a quad to tow him out. Although he did not finish he did learn a huge amount that he can put to practise in the Scottish Championship. Three times Veteran British Enduro Champion Graeme Naismith has had a difficult year, eye surgery earlier this year and he managed to put his back out at the Rhayader in October. Despite this Graeme has remained very competitive in the Veteran Class. Graeme won the Veteran class on day one at the Natterjack and he finished third in the waterlogged day two. Although these results were excellent Graeme knew going into the event that he could not over take Robert Faulkner who had amassed enough points earlier in the season to take the championship. Natterjack Success For Neil Chatham Neil Chatham won the second day of the waterlogged Natterjack British Championship Enduro on Sunday 1st October. The heavens opened and riders and support crew had to endure rain, hail, wind, thunder and lightening. The weather was so bad that the organisers had to cut short the event by one lap and cancel the final Enduro Special test as the timing gear was shut down by the rain. Neil had finished 4th E1 and 8th Clubman overall on Saturday but he was disappointed and thought he could do better. On Sunday he proved his point despite the conditions, the worst of the weather hit as he set out on the last 47minute loop of the day. 'The track was completely waterlogged and it was difficult to judge whether the water was deep or shallow' Neil said afterwards. Neil arrived at the final check with just 15 seconds to spare before being penalised, this resulted in a clean time sheet and the Clubman class win for the day. The win on Sunday pulled Neil up to 2nd E1 and 4th Clubman overall for the weekend. Neil only started riding in Enduros in June following his sixteenth birthday and he has achieved some excellent results in a very short period of time. Neil won the E1 Clubman class at the Otterburn Enduro, 1st 125 at one of the Fast Eddy National Championship rounds and he has had several podium finishes in the Scottish Clubman Enduro Championship. Neil would like to start next year the same way he finished this year with a win. Natterjack 2005 Simon Wakely won the BEC Natterjack Enduro on the 15th & 16th October. Chris Hay was the runner up. The event was supported by Bike-it Dixon Racing. This year's event coincided with the final round of the World Enduro Championship in Italy & therefore BEC points will be awarded in the Expert & Clubman classes only. Scottish Riders Report Chris Hay had a successful return to the British Championship with a strong performance to 2nd overall, following several injuries this year. Chris used this non Championship points round to stage his comeback and although he was disappointed not to win he feels back in the hunt at the top level once more. Chris won three tests outright and equalled Simon Wakely on another two other tests. Unfortunately a fall in one of the enduro tests ended his challenge for the win. Chris is looking forward to the John Banks Enduro in November, Chris has always enjoyed this sand event which he hopes will set him up for the 2006 Championship. Richard Hay made the long journey down from Aberdeen with his family to compete in this event. Richard would have preferred a lighter two stroke for the twisting enduro tests, despite this he put up an excellent performance to finish seventh overall. There had been heavy rain for two days before the event which made the going slippery and there were a few deep puddles to make things interesting. Even 'Iron Man' Richard found the whooped out 52 minute loop heavy going. Ricky Mair rode brilliantly despite a problem with his bike which as good as finished his challenge in the first test on day one. Ricky had fitted a new engine for this event and it was causing problems at the start. He had to work on the bike in the first test as it was not running well at first costing him time on the course. Ricky continued despite this and finished day one in 12th place. On Sunday he had a much better day and set some cracking times on the tests. Although this round did not count towards the Championship for the Premier Class it did count for the Experts and the Clubmen. Paul Chatham's goal was to keep himself in the hunt for the E1 Championship and maintain a podium position in the Clubman class overall. Paul achieved these goals by finishing second overall in the Clubman Class behind E1 Championship leader Ashley Wood. Paul was third on Saturday behind Over 40 and Clubman Championship leader Graeme Naismith by just 0.4 seconds.He pulled this back on Sunday to take second place overall by just 1.5 seconds. The John Banks Enduro in November will be an exciting conclusion to a long season. Graeme Naismith has all but tied up the Clubman Championship with third place overall, needing only to finish in the points to take the win. Graeme has had a great season and he has finished in the top three at every event. It was not all plain sailing as Graeme found the long 52 minute check hard, but he was still looking at his best in the sand quarry motocross test. Overall provisional results Photo: Sgt Chris Mearns. More photos available to aid Armed forces team ride in the 2006 ISDE. Full standings in Excel format Standings in html format Natterjack 2003 The Natterjack - final round of the 2003 ACU British Enduro Championship - took place on the 20th & 21st September. With the absence of David Knight who had already won enough points to secure the Championship, Edward Jones was the quickest on Day 1 ahead of Juan Knight. On Day 2, Juan set the quickest time to take the Premier & Euan McConnell's 3rd on Day 1 & 2nd on Day 2 made him the runner up. Daryl Bolter - who had already clinched the Best Expert title - stepped up into the Championship class & was straight into the points with a 6th & 5th (5th overall).
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Ashley
Wood nails 2008 Natterjack
The MX
test in the sandpit is a huge exercise in civil engineering for men &
machines which like the Great Wall of China is visible from space. It is about half a mile from the start
& - although it was on the same check as the XC test - supporters have lots
of time to walk between tests to cheer on their riders. At the start of
the MX test there was an option of a fast straight line double jump or a
slower & safer route. Ashley Wood (above) set the fastest time on the
first lap & 
In the Expert class the top riders made up the
time they had lost to Matt on the MX test snaking through the trees of XC
test. TM rider Phillip McLoughlin (right) led from Gareth Hopkins on a Wayne
Mounter KTM. Neil Bowker seized his Honda when a ring locating pin came out but
he stripped the motor overnight & started the 2nd day. The splines on
Christian Pickworth gear shaft wore away. Luckily Paul Green had one in
stock & Christian started Day 2. Veteran Derrick Edmondson had to make
a detour through the gorse when an inflatable arch collapsed on the MX
test. Wyn Hughes was in great form - stunning the crowd by almost triple
jumping the start of the test. He led the Veterans from Murray Thomson.
Mark Houson was 3rd. Richard Ely was the best Clubman & Paul Wallis
was the runner up. Tony McFie (left: photo Pete Robinson) was one of the
few clubmen to do the double. Brendan Reese had an electrical problem. Rumours that the
Royal Engineers were experimenting with airbags around their waist seemed
be confirmed when a couple appear to have been deployed. On his final lap
of the day, the top bolt of Ashley Wood's rear shock came out & he lost the
spacers. 
Final round of the 2007 Metzeler ACU British Enduro
Championship
The Team Competition could not have been
closer with the MPS Racing/HuskySport team of Simon Wakely, Mick Seward, Gavin
Houson winning by 1 point from Team Scotland - Richard Hay, Euan
McConnell, Graeme Naismith.
Despite losing 40pts at the Tywi, Electraction TM were only 6pts off the lead
in 3rd. The Best Club award went to the MWTRA Team of Tudor Davies, Rheinallt Davies, David
Jones & the REME Yamaha A team of Daz Hughes, Mike Bailey, Lee Bailey won the Best
Services Trophy.
Eddy wins
a wet Natterjack
At 12.30 - as the Championship class were preparing for their 2nd MX
test - the heaven opened. Wind, rain & hale rolled over the forest in
deluge of Biblical proportions. 
Here
are a few of the REME team who help make the Natterjack such an annual success
(left to right: Dickie Barton, Steve Hunt, Kev Murray, Roger Baker &
Andy Williams). They would like to thank Yamaha for their support. 
